Knee pain... I need advice and help!

CMomma23
CMomma23 Posts: 132 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys, I'm in need of some major advice... Two nights ago I was on the elliptical. In the middle of my "run" my knee felt like it was going to give out and felt funny... No major pain, so I just pushed through and completed my run. No big deal.

I do TurboJam or some dance cardio form at least 4-5 days a week and I add in strength training 3-4 days a week by doing ChaLEAN Extreme.

Yesterday I did a TurboJam booty sculpt workout for 30 minutes and ChaLEAN Extreme workout for 40 minutes (with heavy weights).

Well, last night I got some sort of stiffness in my knee with slight pain. My knee popped 3 different times in 30 minutes and the pain would subside... I went to bed.

Woke up at 1:30 am with severe knee pain. It hurt to walk and my lower leg felt weak like it was going to give. I went back to sleep. I woke up again at 5:00 am same pain, but this time I could feel my toes pointed towards my chin in a locked position. I could barely unlock my knee hurt so bad.

Thus far, I have made my way to the couch, elevated my knee, and have read several articles on knee pain and injury. I'm thinking I should see the doctor for this but, I really don't like the doctor. Not to mention I have a two year old that I would have no choice but to hobble to the doctor's office, chase her, and I'm not even sure if they would see me as a walk in because I'm a new patient. (I moved to a new area 3 years ago and kept my same doctor who is 1 1/2 hours away, never found a close one for urgent need cases like this and I can't travel to my normal doctor today)

Thanks in advance for your help and advice.
«1

Replies

  • iwannablean
    iwannablean Posts: 28 Member
    Oh my god! I think you should see a doctor asap! Hope you feel better soon!
  • jhungate
    jhungate Posts: 95 Member
    A couple of things comes to mind...

    1) are you balancing your workouts? Meaning are you cross training. You could be doing too much of one type of exercise and not enough of another and muscle development wouldn't be balanced. This is common with runners and cyclists, thigh and calf muscles get more developed than butt muscles and it puts a strain on the hip which causes knee pain.

    2) are you properlyly stretching? Both before AND after your workouts.

    I would suggest you make sure you are properly warmed up and cooled down after any workout, mix up your workout/training plans and ice your knee and use ibuprofen.

    See how it works....
  • dizzydi1968
    dizzydi1968 Posts: 564
    See a doctor or attend an emergency room NOW!!

    Sounds very similar to a knee injury I had in 1994 which resulted in keyhole surgery to remove the cartilege(sp?)

    On the positive side I recoverd from this surgery very quickly and had no ongoing problems, despite wearing ridiculously high heels on a daily basis and working out 6 times per week.

    Do not delay, get it looked at before you do it any more damage :flowerforyou:
  • ErynnBaby
    ErynnBaby Posts: 15
    As someone who has had major knee issues that I left unchecked for years I eventually had to have surgery. Knee problems are not something you want to avoid. Go to the ER, walk in clinic or call around and find a doctor (preferably one with an orthopedic on staff or with orthopedic experience) and get it looked at. Is there swelling? Ice it 20 mins on, 20 mins off and see if it goes down. Still see a doctor ASAP. This is not something you want to mess around with. I said I could wait because I "didn't have time" to go to a doctor but then when I had to have surgery with a 12 week recovery time I had nothing but time.... 6 weeks on crutches is going to make taking care of a kid difficult. Might as well nip it in the bud now before it gets more serious, right?
  • StrongGwen
    StrongGwen Posts: 378 Member
    call your far away dr and ask for a recommendation in your area. or ask friends about who they might recommend. do al this with ICE on your knee, 20 min on and 20 min off. This is not the time to be pushing thru the pain. see the doctor soon
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    If you can't walk, go to the hospital. I also think that you might be over training. You are working out a whole lot. Do you take rest days?
  • chelleyr9
    chelleyr9 Posts: 22 Member
    I had the same issues...knee locking in the middle of the night, etc. Knee issues are hereitary and so I have cartilage thinning. My orthopaedic also examined my meniscus. He noticed a slight tear, but stated that it would not be anything he would operate on at this point. He didnt prescribe me a knee brace b/c he said its the same think you can get at any sporting goods store. I opted for a more expensive one. I ice my knee down after every workout and he definitely told me that I needed to slow down and lay off the knee as much...all the dancing, etc. is adding stress to it each day so you may need to lay off until you get it together again. I wear my braces and rarely have issues. I would definitely check with a doctor to make sure your meniscus isnt torn, but if it isnt then you basically need to lay off of it for a while and then pick back up. Tennis really wears down my knees so after playing hard for weeks, I have to take a week or so off. It was to the point where I could barely bend my knees to walk down stairs...and when my knee was locked in the middle of the night and woke me out of my sleep, I just knew my house was haunted! How does THAThappen?!?! Good luck!!
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
    You dont need advice, you need a doctor
  • CMomma23
    CMomma23 Posts: 132 Member
    Thanks! I do not have any swelling just stiffness and pain. I can walk and keep the knee stiff and not move it with minimal pain, but once I try to move it and utilize it.. It feels as if my leg is going one way and my knee is going the other. I suffer from severe tendonitis in my wrist so I have 800mg Ibuprofen for pain, I took one of those to help with the pain for now. It's 6:20 am here and the dr in town that my husband usually sees opens at 8:30, I think I'll call them when they first open to try to get an appointment. Again, thank you for your help and responses!
  • raiderrodney
    raiderrodney Posts: 617 Member
    Having had both of my knees scoped for meniscus tears I don't know that going to the ER will do anything for you but lighten your wallet. If it were me, I'd wait it out 3 or 4 days and see if it improves. Or better yet, get you an appt at a local bone and joint doctor to have it looked at. If it gets better you can always call and cancel ;) Good luck and hopefully it's nothing too serious.
  • CMomma23
    CMomma23 Posts: 132 Member
    If you can't walk, go to the hospital. I also think that you might be over training. You are working out a whole lot. Do you take rest days?

    On occasion... usually 1-2 days a week, but here lately I haven't rested at all. I find it hard to rest because working out relieves depression, anxiety, and I eat better on days I exercise.
  • CMomma23
    CMomma23 Posts: 132 Member
    Having had both of my knees scoped for meniscus tears I don't know that going to the ER will do anything for you but lighten your wallet. If it were me, I'd wait it out 3 or 4 days and see if it improves. Or better yet, get you an appt at a local bone and joint doctor to have it looked at. If it gets better you can always call and cancel ;) Good luck and hopefully it's nothing too serious.

    I feel the same way... I don't like the ER at all because they generally don't/won't do anything for you unless it is a life threatening urgent need.
  • CMomma23
    CMomma23 Posts: 132 Member
    You dont need advice, you need a doctor


    I think so too.
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
    Call your doctor and ask if he will take you as a walk-in patient.
  • raiderrodney
    raiderrodney Posts: 617 Member
    Having had both of my knees scoped for meniscus tears I don't know that going to the ER will do anything for you but lighten your wallet. If it were me, I'd wait it out 3 or 4 days and see if it improves. Or better yet, get you an appt at a local bone and joint doctor to have it looked at. If it gets better you can always call and cancel ;) Good luck and hopefully it's nothing too serious.

    I feel the same way... I don't like the ER at all because they generally don't/won't do anything for you unless it is a life threatening urgent need.

    They are just more trauma care than anything else. When I tore my first one and went to the ER they put me in a brace to keep my leg straight and sent me home. Now...when I tore it it popped so I tried to stretch my knee out and it actually popped underneath and wouldn't let me straighten my knee! I went the next morning to the bone and joint doctor and he worked over to do surgery for me that evening :)
  • Brandongood
    Brandongood Posts: 311 Member
    See a doctor before you do any more exercise. Youre only going to make it worse if you dont get it seen and continue to put stress on the joints. Are you taking fish oil? Its great for the joints.
  • CMomma23
    CMomma23 Posts: 132 Member
    See a doctor before you do any more exercise. Youre only going to make it worse if you dont get it seen and continue to put stress on the joints. Are you taking fish oil? Its great for the joints.

    No I'm not taking fish oil... However, I do plan on talking to the doctor about it (and other supplements) this morning. I tried several times two take a one-a-day for women but the iron or folic acid content makes me sick and I can never keep the vitamin down. For now, I've been taking my kid's active vitamin. (It's for ages 4 - adult) They don't make me sick.

    One more hour and I'm calling the dr... thus far, the ibuprofen hasn't helped much. :/
  • cubsgirlinny
    cubsgirlinny Posts: 282 Member
    Get it checked out NOW. After knee surgery (and another one pending), I've learned to address the issue before exacerbating it. You can prevent injury from a little slow down. Also patellar straps really help with controlling pain during workouts. Hope you feel better.
  • itamd1970
    itamd1970 Posts: 17 Member
    Severe pain of any kind, but especially in the joints is never a good thing. Use ice and aspirin to reduce inflammation and swelling. The popping in and out is probably what has caused the inflammation. The first thing that comes to mind is that you should rest the your knee. If you want to get some good exercise you may consider going to the swimming pool and either walking under water or just swimming so as to reduce the stress on your knee for a bit. Lastly, you should go and get checked out. Get an appointment with a good orthopaedist and I have also found that a good chiropractor who specializes in extremities is quite helpful. It does not matter when he sees you, chances are that i've you've done damage, it's already there. Do not persevere with your usual workouts and ignore the pain.
  • WickedGarden
    WickedGarden Posts: 944 Member
    See a doctor before you do any more exercise. Youre only going to make it worse if you dont get it seen and continue to put stress on the joints. Are you taking fish oil? Its great for the joints.

    No I'm not taking fish oil... However, I do plan on talking to the doctor about it (and other supplements) this morning. I tried several times two take a one-a-day for women but the iron or folic acid content makes me sick and I can never keep the vitamin down. For now, I've been taking my kid's active vitamin. (It's for ages 4 - adult) They don't make me sick.

    One more hour and I'm calling the dr... thus far, the ibuprofen hasn't helped much. :/

    Glucosamine with MSM is a great supplement for joints. Glucosamine helps build cartlidge and the MSM works as a lubricant. You cannot get glucosamine from foods, so it is derived from shellfish, so if you are allergic to shellfish, don't take it.
    I have been taking it and it has been helping me a lot.

    Good Luck!

Categories